Europeans like to trim hedges

Even though the British don't consider themselves Europeans, their hedge-trimming obsession has spread to the Continent (or vice versa) so you'll have to forgive me for grouping them for the sake of simplicity.

While Pat and I disagree on WHY the hedges are so manicured—I say it's an aesthetic obsession, Pat says it's because they can't give up any square footage in their already small plots by having bushy plants. It's true that people live on top of each other here and a leafy hedge is a good way to gain privacy—it's also prettier than a fence. It's true that there are many places where people MUST keep up with the hedge trimming to prevent them from overtaking narrow sidewalks or scratching your car as you drive by (yes, they're that close to the road). Regardless, you can't deny that there are many more applications that defy explanation.

An English Hedge Trimmer and Tree Surgeon (aka arborist) website sheds a little light on the history and benefits of a proper hedge and the danger of one that's out of control...

Hedges around a property create a beautiful, interesting and environmentally sound boundary... Hedgerows are an important and well-loved feature of the British countryside, as well as being a valuable wildlife habitat... Hedgelaying is an ancient countryside craft, creating a dense hedge that primarily was intended to form a barrier to prevent livestock escaping. This involves allowing a hedge to grown to a reasonable height, then pleaching, laying and weaving the hedge to create a neat, thick and impenetrable living barrier. If hedges are not laid, the end result will be a line of trees with gaps in between... Nowadays, a hedgerow created from native British hedging plants, such as Hawthorne and Blackthorn and other thorny species, create a barrier against intruders as well as food and shelter for wildlife... Recent changes to the law mean that ASBOs can be issued for nuisance hedges so neighbours can force the removal of such hedges.

An "ASBO" is a violation of Parliament's 2003 Anti-social Behaviour Act. It has categories including drugs, housing, parental responsibility, dispersal of groups, firearms, environment, public order/trespass, and last, but not least, "high hedges." The act defines "high hedges" as:

(1) In this Part “high hedge” means so much of a barrier to light or access as—
(a) is formed wholly or predominantly by a line of two or more evergreens; and
(b) rises to a height of more than two metres above ground level.
(2) For the purposes of subsection (1) a line of evergreens is not to be regarded as forming a barrier to light or access if the existence of gaps significantly affects its overall effect as such a barrier at heights of more than two metres above ground level.
(3) In this section “evergreen” means an evergreen tree or shrub or a semi-evergreen tree or shrub.

According to the Royal Horticultural Society, you can also get in trouble with the law if you have birds nesting in your hedges.

When undertaking work on garden hedges check that there are no birds nesting as it is an offence under the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981 to damage or destroy the nest of any wild bird while it is in use or being built.

Tricky business this hedge trimming. These explanations for hedge trimming might not extend to the continent, but I'm sure they have their reasons too. Enough of the legal jargon, here are some pictures...















Geneva, Switzerland






Rennes, France


Versailles, France